Jago & Litefoot & Strax: The Haunting

This is one of those things that, in retrospect just seems so inevitable - at least once Big Finish finally gained the rights to use characters from the new series. It's a perfect blending of the modern series with the classic one, teaming Strax up temporarily with the Victorian investigators who had, by this point, featured in ten seasons (plus a few specials) of their own audio spin-off series.

The story, which, at around two hours, is double the length of regular J&L episodes is clearly set within the framework of the existing spin-off. Ellie Higson, the Red Tavern, and the New Regency Theatre all play a significant role, as does Inspector Quick. There's nothing here that's likely to be difficult for those unfamiliar with the earlier stories to follow, and the characters are effectively introduced for the benefit of newcomers, but it's also probably also fair to say that existing fans of J&L will get a lot more out of it.

The plot concerns a haunted house that seems to be connected to a series of mysterious murders and would work perfectly well in any regular episode, despite the extra length. But, of course, the appeal of it is adding Strax into the mix, with his usual failure to understand humans and Victorian culture. He gets a lot of the best lines, but there are also a number of moments, especially in the second half, where his understanding of alien technology gives him an edge - and makes him more than a simple comedy foil.

This is a superb mix of comedy, investigation, and horror, doing all of the things that J&L normally does so well, and throwing Strax's over-enthusiasm into the mix. It's a one-off, with no connection to the rest of its series beyond the characters, and probably wouldn't work as part of something longer, but for what it is, it's very enjoyable.